Unexpected Allies
by PhantasmBabeIvory
Summary: What happens when random characters from different universes are thrown together to work as a team? Read inside to find out.
1. Prologue

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

_Author's Notes: Let me start by saying that this story is purely independent from the Starscream/Alexis saga I have going. To all of you familiar with Sky Dancer, I will say that I have not given up on it; it has just been slow-going in between my work and school responsibilities. However, I will be on vacation for the next ten days, and may actually have two new chapters to post very soon._

_In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy this new Transformers story that I've been planning for the past several months. This stems from me thinking one day about how fun it might be if characters from different universes were thrown together. There will be one Autobot/Maximal and Decepticon/Predacon/Mini-Con each from the following shows: G1, Beast Wars, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, the movieverse, and Animated._

_I pretty much have the character roster figured out, but am open to suggestions for Autobots, from the Armada and Energon universes only._

_I hope you enjoy what will prove to be a very humorous story._

Prologue

It was undeniable that anyone with an extraordinary amount of free time on their hands and prone to just thinking for hours on end would inevitably hit on the most interesting of concepts.

In the case of Vector Prime, the only one of his race (the Transformers) to exist since the dawn of time, such thoughts, coupled with his observations of his kin across different universes over many millennia, gave root to a very interesting question. The one thing that many of these universes had in common was the division of the Transformers race into two separate factions: Autobot and Decepticon. And in most all cases, two commanders (of strong character and charisma, each in their own right) emerged from their ranks to lead both sides in the most long-lived of wars.

The question was such: could either team have thrived if not under the command of Optimus Prime or Megatron?

Vector Prime was unsure, but he had to admit to being curious to know. And fortunately for him, he was not the only one. Once he had shared his thoughts with Primus, the omnipotent creator of the Transformer race, the latter expressed a like-minded curiosity of this possibility.

In time, Primus' interest became such that he was compelled to test the theory. So it was, in collaboration with Vector Prime, that the most unlikely of teams were put together, each assembled of Autobots and Decepticons from different universes -- from differing time periods even. And, to ensure that none of them would be missed, Primus even went so far as to create carbon copies of each and every one of them, all imbued with the same memories and personalities as the originals.

From there, Vector Prime set about delivering messages to each individual test subject, appearing to each of them as the leader they most recognized. In most cases, Optimus and Megatron (in several different guises) sufficed, but other authority figures would include the Autobots, Grimlock and Ratchet, and the Decepticon, Barricade.

The terms were simple: learn to work as a team, or be stuck with one another for all eternity. And for the two who had the potential to be strong leaders in their own right, they were to learn how to step up to plate, especially being surrounded by so many troublemakers or "challenges."

And yet, as the test commenced, Vector Prime's thoughts touched on a very fleeting notion: _If all the subjects can get through three days without killing each other, then the outcome could be very interesting indeed…_


	2. Chapter 1

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter One

It was typical for the Transformer known as Dinobot to be on high alert from the instant he awoke each morning. Ever since he'd signed on as a member of the goody-two-shoes team, it had become something of a routine that the pesky vermin (Rattrap) would play pranks on him, especially during his recharge hours.

Such was the reason he couldn't bring himself to have a look at the data pad by his bunk right away, especially since it bore a note that said simply, PLAY ME. For all Dinobot knew (and going by Rattrap's track record), it could be just the thing that would trigger some hidden mechanism. And he'd be slagged if he got covered in pink paint or literally chucked out of his bunk once more.

In the case of the latter, Rattrap had once, in a seven-hour period, tricked out Dinobot's berth with a high-speed hydraulic lift.

Gradually, Dinobot began to notice some things were strange about his surroundings, most notably due to the olfactory senses he'd come to possess, ever since he and his teammates had crashed on this prehistoric version of Earth. Sniffing at the air didn't produce any scents that he'd become oh-so-familiar with. And, if he was smelling right, there were at least six other beings nearby -- none of them organic in the slightest.

It had been so long since he'd been around another of his kind in a fully steel and wire form. The hostile environment on the Earth he was accustomed to was too dangerous to allow his kind to walk around in their native forms for very long. Hence the need for a protective organic "shell."

One of the next things Dinobot noticed was that there was something off about his room. Sure, everything looked exactly the same, but for some reason he couldn't understand, it lacked the coziness he was accustomed to. If Dinobot had to hazard a guess, he would say that this room had barely been _lived _in.

At last, Dinobot rose from his bunk and crossed to the door. Realistically, he shouldn't have been surprised to find it locked. Hearing some low, perhaps faraway, voices from the outside, he pressed his audio receptor against the steel, stilling his breath and simply concentrating on listening.

Still, he couldn't make out any distinct words and could only identify these strangers by their tone of voice -- one loud and chipper, the other soft and lilting.

Dinobot stepped away from the door, spending a long moment trying to reason this out before turning his attention back to the data pad on the nightstand. Perhaps it might be his only chance at this point to unveil the answer to this mystery. Sure, he could use his sword or claws to try to break down the door, but it would take more time and effort than he was willing to expend.

In seconds, the data pad was in his hands, and Dinobot's claw was scraping over the play button. Though he was slightly surprised to see the face of his commander, he was even more surprised when the opening statements, though spoken in a familiar tone, alluded to the fact that this was not the Optimus he knew and respected.

"I cannot tell you who I really am, but I thought this would be easier if you had a familiar face relaying it. You may be displeased to know that you are part of an experiment, but you are not alone. With you are six other Autobots…"

*****

Miles away, the Decepticon known as Soundwave, a virtually emotionless soldier who was nevertheless deeply loyal to his world's Megatron, was viewing a message almost identical to Dinobot's. As always, his expression was unreadable, though a part of him was bothered by the notion of being used as a guinea pig. Well, that and he was already missing his personal minions -- commonly referred to as the Cassetticons -- that he had come to regard as family.

Silently, he listened as the remainder of the message played out. "With you are six other Decepticons who have been plucked out of different universes and\or timestreams. All of you now reside in a land of my own choosing, along with a personalized team of Autobots. You will not face any human contact while you are here."

This imposter posing as Megatron cleared his throat and continued with, "I can tell you that you reside on a planet that is rich in Energon, as well as building materials. Cybertron is out there, in this universe that you now reside, but it is a barren world, long abandoned by those you call kin... It is up to you on whether you wish to continue a war with the opposing faction that has now been rendered pointless.

"It is my belief that you, Soundwave, have what it takes to lead, and in most cases, straighten out, this jumbled group of Decepticons. I can't promise that it will be easy, even for one such as you, but I wish you all the luck."

With that, the datapad's screen blacked out. Soundwave sat there in silence for a time, then moved to replay it. When a message showed on the screen to say that the data had been corrupted and could not be viewed again, he was hardly surprised. Most likely, the erasure program had been established to guarantee his video could not be viewed by any of the other soldiers he was stuck with.

It was likely that each of his mystery comrades had been supplied with their own personalized datapads, all of which had been set to erase after one viewing. What better way to ensure they'd not be able to decode who had really recorded the messages?

When a loud crash sounded from out in the corridor, followed by several raised voices, an odd abbreviated beeping sound, and a raucous screeching, there was nothing about Soundwave to indicate he was bothered by the commotion. As calmly as if he was stepping outside to take a walk, he rose from his bunk and stepped over to the entryway.

As he expected, the door slid open easily this time, as though it had been programmed to do so once the datapad had been viewed. Without so much as a sigh, Soundwave stepped out into the corridor, fully prepared to meet those he'd been chosen to command...


	3. Chapter 2

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter Two

As Dinobot's senses had already been telling him, his companions were undoubtedly full-fledged robots. Still, he was nevertheless surprised when he emerged from the corridor into a large room, and three sets of optics came to focus on him (perhaps not everyone was awake yet, or at least were too apprehensive to show themselves). Since he too was rather wary about this, he had chosen to enter the room in his beast form -- a fully organic brown and tan Velociraptor that didn't even hint at the robotic being hidden beneath its skin.

Dinobot's narrow blue eyes quickly darted from one of the room's occupants to the next so he could get a sense of who, or what, they were.

The first was about three times larger than he was, and also in beast form. Though Dinobot couldn't remember the name of this Autobot who'd fought in the Great Wars about three hundred years before his time, the fully metal Triceratops guise was unmistakable. Ironically, Dinobot mused, _At least I'm not the only dinosaur around..._ But then, he went on to wonder just who else from his era had been selected to be on the Decepticon team; it could easily be a certain noisy and treacherous Pterodactyl, for all he knew.

The second bot was closer to Dinobot's size, and the latter blinked upon setting eyes on him. For the most part, this Autobot was orange and gray in color, and, in spite of the fact that several flies were buzzing around his head, was wearing a wide, somewhat goofy grin. Covering his snout briefly as an unpleasant odor reached him (supposedly from the bot in question), Dinobot merely thought, shifting his gaze once more, _We'll see about hosing you down shortly…_

The third Autobot was also bigger than Dinobot, with gleaming black and silver armor. As the latter idly wondered just why he'd been picked to command an army who were probably all going to be larger than him, the Transformer he was eying took a few steps forward, and there was a certain fluidity in his movements that suggested he was quite spry in battle.

The black and silver Autobot was the first to break the silence, a look of curiosity present in his light blue optics. "What the pit are you?" he asked in a slightly melodious tone.

Dinobot had almost forgotten that he was in his organic mode; it seemed clear that none of his three companions (well, it was hard to tell with the smelly orange and gray one, who was still smiling and didn't really seem bothered) had ever seen anything like him. After a brief moment, he straightened up and placed one clawed hand against his chest, unconsciously swishing his tail. "You can call me Dinobot," he said in a husky, rumbling tone that reflected his predatory nature. "And, though more advanced, I am one of you."

The two Autobots, to the left and right, genuinely seemed surprised that he was speaking. The middle one, however, was undaunted and was swiftly moving forward, extending one hand in a friendly gesture and seemingly oblivious of the way Dinobot was recoiling at the increased stench. "Hi, I'm Wreck-Gar," he said in a unnecessarily loud and cheerful voice. "I am very pleased to meet you."

The smell aside, Dinobot eyed his companion warily, and everything in his posture indicated he was put off by Wreck-Gar's attitude. Thankfully, the black and silver bot noticed this and cared enough to intervene. "Wreck-Gar," he said with a soft sigh. "There is such a thing as being too friendly. Could you please give our new friend some space?"

That apparently was the wrong thing to say, as Wreck-Gar turned on the speaker and protested, "I can be anything I want to be."

_Oh-kay…_ Dinobot thought simply, even as he himself backed away. Thankfully, Wreck-Gar didn't seem inclined to press the issue when he noticed Dinobot was moving away from him.

The black and silver bot turned his attention back to Dinobot, who was casually wondering why the metal Triceratops had not yet spoken. "My name's Jazz," he said smoothly and a second later went on to answer Dinobot's question by gesturing to the dino across from him. "And this here is Slag."

Dinobot couldn't resist a laugh from escaping his lips, certain that this had to be a joke. Once he realized his companions weren't laughing, he sobered up and mentally reminded himself that the term 'slag' that he tossed around all the time hadn't always been a profane word. Given how frequently he cursed, this was sure to cause a lot of problems or confusion.

Still, it would take some time before he could take it seriously that someone was actually named such.

At this, the Triceratops spoke, in a decidedly childish tone. "Me Slag want to know what's so funny!" he said with an incensed note, and undoubtedly got even more peeved when Dinobot keeled over in an uncharacteristic and severe laughing fit…

* * *

_Author's Notes: Sorry this segment is so short; I promise the chapters will be getting longer as the story progresses. Nevertheless, hope you enjoy._

_In the meantime, I do have a new poll going in regards to this story. I hope you'll take time to participate._

_Next up: the intro of the Decepticon team._


	4. Chapter 3

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

_Author's Notes: Other than the ones in this chapter, there is one more Decepticon still to be introduced. More on that in coming chapters._

_In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this installment and that you'll take the time to participate in the new poll on my profile page._

_Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far._

Chapter Three

Back home, Soundwave had always been used to a certain degree of insanity. Barely a day went by in the Decepticon base with which he was most familiar that didn't include a fight between "comrades."

However, those spats had absolutely nothing on the scene he walked into.

Just after he'd stepped through the doorway, Soundwave halted, barely avoiding tripping over a pair of mini-bots that were in his way. Briefly, the two looked up at him, then the one on the right (a tall but scrawny silver one with an oddly-shaped face) leaped backwards, nimbly darting away with a high-pitched screech. In moments, it had positioned itself on the ceiling further down the corridor, clinging upside down to the pipes with hands _and _feet and staring down at the room's other occupants with what Soundwave could only interpret as contempt.

Seconds later, Soundwave noticed that the scrawny mini-bot wasn't the only one hanging from the ceiling. Impassive though he might be, even he was taken off guard by the half-metal, half organic creature before him. It resembled what the humans called a spider, and though he doubted it could actually be a Transformer, there was no mistaking the purple Decepticon mark printed on its chest. "Thank Primus," this creature said a moment later, in what was a definite feminine tone. Lifting one leg to gesture towards her ceiling companion, she added, "I almost thought he'd never stop squawking."

This caused the mini-bot to tilt its head towards the spider creature and another screech passed through its vocal processor. If Soundwave had to hazard a guess, it almost sounded angry.

The other mini-bot still at Soundwave's feet drew his attention by making some sort of beeping noise. Soundwave spared the gray bot, with a yellow optical visor, a brief glance, guessing by its framework that it transformed into some sort of miniature tank. In addition, the string of beeps consisted of different pitches and length, suggesting that this was the language it spoke. Soundwave had never heard anything like it before and, seeing as he couldn't decipher it at the moment, shifted his gaze to see if anyone else was present.

There was another bot standing at the far end of the corridor, and though Soundwave didn't show it externally, he was truly surprised at first glance. For an instant, he almost thought he was looking at someone from his own world (Shockwave), but shortly realized that the bot's armor, and the single large optic in the center of his face, had an alternate color scheme. Whoever this lookalike was, everything in his stance indicated he was not happy about being here and more than likely wouldn't be very forthcoming.

Seeing as none of his companions was likely to offer up their names anytime soon, Soundwave turned to his one unique capability to gather the information needed. Aside from the gray mini-bot at his feet, he could read all of their minds like open books.

Looking from the lookalike to the female spider to the screechy silver mini-bot, Soundwave addressed each of them in turn, trying to ignore that the latter bore a similar name to one of his own personal minions. "Sixshot, Blackarachnia, Frenzy," he said in a calm, monotonous voice. "Silence -- unproductive. Talking -- recommended." Though he was sure that his companions were probably more used to drawn-out speeches, Soundwave had always been one of few words and didn't need much to get his point across.

Blackarachnia was the first to speak, right after she'd dropped to the floor and switched to her half-organic, half metal "bot" mode. Looking downright hostile, she spat out, "Who are you to tell us what to do?!"

"Datapad designation -- leader," was all Soundwave offered her, surprised that she and the other two weren't questioning how he knew their names.

Blackarachnia looked startled for an instant, then went back to scowling. "Perfect!" she said in a derisive tone. "Like you're really going to do a better job than Megatron?!" She said nothing further out loud, but Soundwave could clearly hear her thinking, _I am never getting rid of this sickening organic half I'm stuck with._

Frenzy let loose with another screech undoubtedly directed at Blackarachnia. It seemed that the silver mini-bot was taking some perverse pleasure in rankling her just for the heck of it.

Blackarachnia responded with a growl of her own, producing a laser weapon from some hidden compartment at her side and aiming it right at Frenzy's face. "That's it, you little runt!" she said angrily. "Keep it up and you'll be eating plasma."

When a loud nervous gulp sounded from the far entryway, all of the corridor's occupants turned to see that someone else had come to join them. They had barely comprehended the newcomer's green and yellow form and that he also appeared to be part organic before he timidly questioned, in a voice that had a slight humming undertone, "Promise not to shoot Waspinator...?"


	5. Chapter 4

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter Four

When Dinobot had finally gotten over his laughing fit and convinced Slag that he'd explain later (though even that had threatened to set him off again), the group had been joined by two more Autobots who had to be wondering what the heck was going on.

If anything, Dinobot was pleased to see that both newcomers were smaller than him, though he wondered if either of them would prove worthy in a battle.

The one on the right, despite being roughly the same size as an adult human, had to be a warrior of some sort given the way he was wielding some long, thin metal pole. But what he lacked in height, he made up for in bulk; if the three round covered ports lining his back were any indication, then his alternate mode had to be what the humans called a stop-light.

The other Autobot was undoubtedly a femme, much to the surprise of her companions. She was just the opposite of the Transformer at her side and was quite tall and skinny, though she couldn't measure any higher than twenty-five feet. Her alternate mode was quite distinguishable as well; having only two wheels likely indicated she was a motorcycle of some sort. Though she would undoubtedly appeal to most mechs, there was something about her pink and white armor that didn't exactly attract Dinobot's interest.

After some minor prodding from Jazz that they run through the introductions again, the two newcomers were identified as Signal Lancer and Arcee. Ironically, both of them reacted to Slag's name in the way that Dinobot had, though they both did a better job at holding their laughter.

Jazz threw quick glances at both entrances to the room, but didn't see any sign that anyone else was coming. Idly, he commented on the fact that his datapad message had indicated that there were to be seven of them in total.

Dinobot tilted his head slightly to one side, in a way that made him look even more predatory. "Perhaps we should be satisfied with what is right now," he said, his words punctuated with an instinctive growl. Generally, Dinobot would have jumped at the chance to lead a group of Transformers, but he would have much preferred for it to be the ones he knew instead of these veritable strangers before him. "I'm more concerned with why we're here than with a missing companion… Or am I the only one unhappy with the fact that we are part of an experiment?"

Arcee shifted her weight, half sitting on a steel crate behind her. "Maybe," she answered. "But I'd take this this place over home. At least it's peaceful so far."

"Peaceful?" Jazz asked in surprise. "I don't see how any place could be with a group of Decepticons lurking about."

Arcee turned to look at him. "Then you must not be embroiled in a constant war day in and day out. Believe me, it could be a lot worse." A pause, then, "Where I come from, Cybertron is being completely controlled by the Decepticons… I'd rather see my homeworld barren than in their hands."

Jazz blinked, actually looking bothered by her cavalier statement. Crossing his arms, he said, in a hard tone, "Trust me, sister. Barren worlds are not all they're cracked to be."

This serious exchange might have gone on if Wreck-Gar, looking downright confused, hadn't spoken. "What's Cybertron?"

At this, everyone else in the room turned to regard him dubiously. Though they all had to be thinking the same thing, it was Jazz who gave voice to it, in a quite hesitant tone. "Uh, it's the planet that the Transformers call home."

Wreck-Gar's smile returned for an instant, and he said, "Oh," as if that undoubtedly clarified it for him. A few seconds later, though, he took on that confused expression again. "What's a Transformer?"

Dinobot tilted his head to the side, fixing Wreck-Gar with an uncertain stare. _Is this guy for real?!_ he mused. Out loud, he snarled, "What were you, born yesterday?"

Again wearing that bright smile, Wreck-Gar surprised them all once more by saying simply, "Yes."

Dinobot blinked, his mind racing with thoughts of either how impossible this was or of trying to figure out how it could be true. If Wreck-Gar was indeed only a day old, he was already far advanced for his age to be moving and speaking. Many, if not all, of the Transformers at that stage would need time to become fully aware after being brought online.

Jazz shifted his weight, looking mighty curious as well. "Wreck-Gar," he started. "Maybe you could tell us a little about where you come from. Did you encounter any beings like yourself?" When he was given an affirmation, Jazz went on to say, "Do you know what their names were?"

Dinobot shifted his gaze, even as Wreck-Gar offered up a couple names (which he himself vaguely recognized), to see the reactions of the others. From Arcee and Signal Lancer, there was no sign of recollection. At this, he was the one to suggest that each of them tell a little about themselves and the worlds that they came from. Jazz took it one step further by suggesting they input the data into the nearest available computer.

They were on their way down the hall, with Dinobot and Slag still in their beast modes, when their remaining companion made himself known. While Dinobot was somewhat displeased to see a fourth Transformer that was larger than him, he got the sense that the yellow and red bot was nervous about being here.

Before anyone else could say anything, Arcee spoke, and everyone who turned to look at her could see a smile playing at her lips. "Well, it's good to at least see one familiar face," she said brightly, even though the new arrival didn't appear to recognize her in return. "Welcome, Hot Shot…"

_Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this latest installment, and thanks to everyone who'd participated in the poll. Will hopefully have the Decepticon side of things out shortly._


	6. Chapter 5

Unexpected Allies

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

_Author's Notes: Seeing as there's been some confusion over who comes from what universe, allow me to clarify on all of them. Slag and Soundwave (G1), Dinobot and Waspinator (Beast Wars), Hot Shot and the gray tank mini-bot, Leader 1 (Armada), Arcee and Sixshot (Energon, around episode 42), Signal Lancer and a yet-to be identified Decepticon (Cybertron), Jazz and Frenzy (2007 film), & Wreck-Gar and Blackarachnia (Animated)._

_I apologize for making it so unclear; I shouldn't have assumed that it would be obvious this early on._

_I hope you all enjoy what's to come, and I promise that the chapters will be getting longer past this one._

Chapter Five

Quite ironically, Waspinator's entrance and grabbing of everyone's attention caused a problem or two.

Seeing that Blackarachnia's gaze was on the new arrival, Frenzy took the opportunity to disarm her. A pair of round steel discs shot out of his chest at light speed and proved to be sharp enough to slice through her weapon.

Blackarachnia shortly let out a screech when one of the discs partially planted itself in her hand. As the rest of the group turned to look at her (most with startled expressions), Frenzy dropped down from the ceiling and took off running.

Blackarachnia growled after an instant, yanking the metal disc from her hand and throwing it in the direction of the retreating mini-bot. Though she looked furious, she made no move to pursue Frenzy, but Soundwave did hear her think, _I'm going to kill that stinking little runt when I catch him!_

Soundwave idly glanced around the room, merely listening to everyone's foremost thoughts to try and get a better sense of who or what he was dealing with. His gaze had just swept over the unnamed gray mini-bot still at his feet when it spoke, beeping at him insistently in that foreign tongue, but Soundwave just ignored it for the time being.

From the now-cowering green and yellow bot who'd just stumbled in here: _Waspinator not want to get scrapped…_

From Sixshot: _So much for making Optimus Prime pay for killing my brother in cold blood…_ Soundwave didn't even flinch at that one, but he was struck by the improbability of the statement. Optimus might be many things, but ruthless wasn't one of them. Sixshot either had to have been misinformed, or his world's version of Optimus was a wild card.

Frenzy was still near enough that his thoughts could be read loud and clear, but his musings proved he had something of a one-track mind. The only two words crossing his thoughts, in a frenetic manner, were either _Megatron_ or _Witwicky_. The latter seemed to be something additional that Soundwave and this version of Frenzy had in common; in both their universes, there existed a human (or humans) with such a surname.

The mini-bot at his feet once more issued that beeping sound, this time managing to come across as being agitated. Soundwave spared it a longer glance and offered an explanation, guessing it believed that it was deliberately being ignored.

"Language -- unknown," was all Soundwave said. The mini-bot didn't react for a moment, then it's entire frame slumped and something like a groan sounded from it's vocal processor. At least it had an understanding of English, Soundwave reasoned. They'd really have a problem if the language barrier had been double-sided.

Blackarachnia looked over, her attention having been caught by Soundwave's words, with a scowl. "Great," she spat out. "That's just what we need to make this situation absolutely perfect! Another little runt that we can't even understand!"

The gray mini-bot stiffened, whirling in her direction in an instant. Blackarachnia must have sensed it was going to fire, for she leapt out of the way just as a powerful laser beam shot out of a port at it's chest.

Soundwave, in an uncharacteristic move, blinked in surprise, then slowly turned to look at the large, fresh char mark decorating the wall. Tiny as this mini-bot may be, it clearly carried an enormous amount of firepower.

A second later, Soundwave picked up on Sixshot thinking, with an amused tinge, _The spider's gonna get creamed if she keeps this up… though that could be fun to watch…_

Aware that this could quickly get out of control, Soundwave was prepared to plant mental suggestions in the minds of his comrades to get them to simmer down. Unfortunately, he had somehow missed the fact that someone else had entered the corridor and missed his chance to calm everyone down when a haughty, high-pitched voice rang out.

Even as Soundwave turned to see a purple and gray femme (that anyone not big on emotional suppression would surely find attractive), she was saying, "You have got to be joking! I traded the company of some of the hottest mechs alive for a group of freaks!?"

It was unclear as to just whom Thunderblast (which Soundwave gleaned through a brief probing of her thoughts) was referring, but Blackarachnia quickly took offense to it. The spider let out another angered screech and the pair of stinger-like implements at her shoulders began moving forward, even as she began stepping towards the other femme.

Sensing that Blackarachnia intended to inject Thunderblast with a strong dose of venom highly deadly to Cybertronians, Soundwave, not wanting any casualties on their first day, moved to intervene.

Big mistake.

Though Blackarachnia had to be startled when her stingers sank into an unintended target, a jolt still passed through Soundwave's systems. At least he could be thankful that no venom was introduced into him. An instant later, she retracted the stingers, but it became apparent seconds later that the damage was already done.

Blackarachnia backed up a step, then two, looking around with all four of the red optical slits decorating her face as wide as could be. "Why is everyone so chatty all of a sudden?!" she said in a shrill tone, causing all but Soundwave to regard her quizzically. After another few seconds, she covered her audio sensors as though to block out some loud din. "Shut up!" she screamed.

Fighting to cast off the tingling sensation throughout his systems, Soundwave hurriedly placed some mental blocks in Blackarachnia's head to banish all the thoughts she must now be hearing, then offered a clarification. Pointing to his own chest, then to the female spider, he said, "Telepathic abilities -- evenly distributed."

_Oh, slag! This guy's a telepath!_ Blackarachnia thought wildly after a few seconds. _Didn't expect to copy that kind of power. Thank Primus the effects don't last long… And maybe I should watch myself from now on. Who knows what I would have inherited from that stuck-up snob over there!_ A short hesitation, and then, _Slag, he's probably hearing what I'm thinking!_

Soundwave offered no response, telepathic or otherwise, to her. As out of his element as he might be, surrounded by these six strangers, at least he already knew that half of them would prove useful in days to come. Frenzy's nimbleness, the gray mini-bot's impressive show of force, and Blackarachnia's powers of absorption would come in handy for whenever his group came face to face with the Autobots.

All he had to do, until then, was to keep his six comrades from killing each other…


End file.
